Friday, November 17

The start of a quiet Winter

Oh gang, this is such an exciting and peaceful time. This is the week our quiet winter officially begins! I woke up this morning to falling snow outside with today being the last day of school before Thanksgiving, and once the older kids get home there will be a big deep breath and inner sigh of relief.

Our Summer was full and sweet, with just the right amount of traveling and exploring as a family, seeing new sights and old friends, slowing paddling down rivers, and sleeping under the stars. It was just enough that when the first chilly weather hit I wasn't sad, even though I love the warmth and freedom of Summertime. I felt satisfied and happy and ready for the next season ahead.

Fall seemed busier and a bit more stressful with a couple big trips and more deadlines to meet, etc, but it also brought many happy moments that are are happy memories now, and as I look forward to tonight I'm thinking of all the ways we will fill up this new season with rest and peace, investing more than ever in our family and our little life, and taking all the time we need to get things done.

I know that many of you share my excitement for what's ahead, even if the chilly wind and dangerous roads, etc, can make Winter intimidating. But this season is really a period of time to slow down and shift our mindset to what's really important, and what we really want out of the upcoming year. We can take extra care of ourselves and our people, we can rest and recover and refocus on our personal well-being; mind, body, and spirit.

Those are some of my plans and I hope you'll make some of your own:) Look forward to making this next season about building yourself up mentally, physically, and spiritually. Make less commitments, put the most important people in your life absolutely first. Read more, stretch every day, drink more water and make better food choices. Say no more often, it'll be fine I promise:) Stop making excuses. Think about December of 2018, instead of the coming January. Don't think about how you want to start out your year with unrealistic expectations of yourself, but think instead about how you want to end it. Plan to take it easier on yourself. Buy less and save more. Do more yoga this Winter. Listen to calming music. Take lots of deep breaths throughout the day, and just slow down.

Slow down.

I plan on sharing how all of this goes for me. How I fit it all in, what my schedule is like, where I like to shop to save on groceries, and what traditions we're passing onto the kids through this time of gratitude and giving. I also want to share books on my reading list, what songs are stuck in my head, what words I tell myself in the early light of day to help me stay positive, how I'm working at staying active, and how I'm finally learning to love myself. I want to share more about pain and grief, and about mental illness, and I want to make typing a much bigger priority moving forward.

So, join me in stepping quietly into this next season, and start moving your life towards what you dream it could be, one little step at a time. Investing time into self-love is telling yourself that you're worth it, and that you have more to give than you might have otherwise thought, and we all need that I think.

Really love what you said about taking this time to rest, recover and refocus on our personal well-being. Your writing is really sweet to read, and I love the idea of focusing more on how we can end this year well instead of being caught up in our "plans" for 2018. You're so right!Hope you have a lovely winter. x

Lovely post! I wish you good luck with the transition to next season and making the most of it. For me personally winter is always hard and dark period, but maybe this year it won't be so bad. I hope so. Look forward hearing more about your journey to self-love.